Report on Campus CHP Plant Submitted

A special subcommittee of the Campus Sustainability Committee (CSC) that was charged with studying the feasibility of building a combined heat and power (CHP) plant on campus submitted its report to university administrators Monday.

The subcommittee, composed of faculty, students and staff, and led by Tim Profeta, the director of Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, has been working since December to review various aspects of the proposed project.

Executive Vice President Tallman Trask accepted the report in a message to the subcommittee, saying: “On behalf of President Brodhead and the university administration, I thank you for your diligent work, and for producing an important, informed and timely analysis. We will carefully review the report, and the associated appendices, as we continue to assess the options for meeting Duke University’s need for energy security.”

Trask added: “Given the complexity of these issues, we will not be bringing a proposal forward for approval by the Board of Trustees in May. Be assured that the university will continue to engage stakeholders in the process in a meaningful way, and that any decision will be, first and foremost, consistent with our longstanding commitment to leadership in sustainability and responsible stewardship of the environment. I look forward to further discussions with the CSC. In the meantime, we will post the text of the report and the appendices, and this response, on Duke Today so that all members of the community can be informed by your research.”